Lost on the moon
by skullcandyeater
Summary: A pony that fell from the sky and is at the hospital in a coma. Nopony knows when she will wake up or where she comes from. What will happen this mysterious pony wakes? Why is she there? Is she safe in Ponyville? How come she claims she talks to Luna all the time, although they have never met? And why does the Cloudsdale authority want her for questioning?
1. Chapter 1 - Dreams

I don't need to be saved  
Five steps away from this cliff top  
And birds sing their praises  
To this weary world that haunts my weary soul

That was a song I used to listen to. It used to be just words but now I can see the true meaning. That was before the fall, before this, before everything went wrong. I always knew the young fliers competition was always a long shot, but then again I have done a sonic boom before. That was when I was 10, that was me escaping from my dad. I wanted a new start but you can't run away from your memories, or the voices in your head, or yourself, for that matter.

These ponies, struggling time and time again through all the despair and tragedy thrown at them. They've forgotten so that they can go back to their lives full of love and happiness. But I have not forgotten. I've not forgotten about the bullshit and the lies. We could have saved him…and they could have saved me. And now I'm out of my mind with guilt, hate and…

I feel like the walls are closing in, I feel like Alice trying to get through the tiny door, but I don't have the pill to make me shrink. I feel like I'm on the outside looking in. I feel like a puppet in the palm of the master's hand.

Luna, can you save me from my nightmare and guide me through this warped dream. Luna can save you from your nightmares in your head, but can't save you from your living nightmare. They say that friendship is magic. What friendship? And what magic? I'm still waiting for the day when I get a friend that is true and will not just leave me and stay by my side forever. Everypony tells me forever does exist, but forever is a very long time and ponies change and move on, they don't wait for those left behind.

I guess I will be forever lost on the moon…


	2. Chapter 2 - Waking

Beep

Beep

Beep

Beep

Beep

"Hello?"

I open my timid eyes to the harsh white lights. _I don't want to be here. _I close my eyes again. _Luna, take me back to the moon. Luna, they won't understand. Please. _

"Hello?"

_Please Luna please. _But reality had already taken hold of me dragging me out of my blissful unconsciousness and back into this harsh, mean world. Wearily I open my eyes.

"Hello?" I look at the blue haired pony that is talking to me.

"Hello." I whisper quietly as I look down at my wing that is covered in bandages and I frown. "What… _happened_ to me?"

"You fell from Cloudsdale, you broke your wing, fractured your leg and spine and was in a coma for 3 weeks." The pony looked at me gently.

"Oh… Where am I?" Slowly sitting up, I look around the small white room.

"In hospital, near Ponyville, on the outskirts really." She smiled kindly but I could sense that something was wrong. "You are lucky that we found you… before the pegasi. As you know they aren't too comfortable with failures." _Failures. I didn't fail, I fell, I was out of control. There is a difference. _

"What do you think would happen if they found me?" I could feel the worry, the angst, the fear building. It was like the calm before the storm. I could feel it like white noise in my ears. Ringing.

"You know what happens to people who don't pass the test." Her eyes went all glazy like she wanted to cry, sob her heart out. _Who was it, doctor? Which one of your friends or family failed? What happened to them, doctor?_ She sniffed and briefly looked away. "Now it's time for me to ask a few questions."

"Fire away."

"Where do you come from?" _Nowhere, everywhere, why would you want to know? It's not like you care._

"Beyond the Everfree Forest."

"Like… okay. Why did you come here?" _ To escape. To free myself. To… loose myself. _

"To take part in the young flyers competition." _Obviously. _

"Okay. Umm… that would be all. If you need anything, anything at all, I'm just down the hallway, okay?"

"Yeah, sure" I murmur._ Do I run or do I hide?_

"Oh yeah, one last thing. While you are getting better we will find you a place in Ponyville to stay, so that you can sort out arrangements to go home." _Home… I wouldn't call it home, more hellhole._

"Okay, thank you." The doctor smiled again and closed the door. That's when the darkness started creeping in. All of the voices. All of the ponies that I used to know. It starts of like a whisper in the back of your mind, so quiet that you could mistake it for a fly or bug of some sort. But then it gets louder and louder and louder. Until it's screaming and shouting and they won't leave you alone.

YOU'RE NOT GOOD ENOUGH. USELESS. WORTHLESS PIECE OF SHITE. NO ONE LOVES YOU. YOU ARE BETTER OFF ALONE. WHO WOULD WANT TO BE FRIENDS WITH YOU ANYWAY? YOU REPULSE ME. FAILURE. F-A-I-L-U-R-E

They are all just echoes, voices from long ago. A different time, a different place, a different lifetime.


	3. Chapter 3 - Truth

"I'M NOT A FAILURE!"The doctor came rushing in looking worried and confused. The middle aged pony's mane in a mess.

"Are you okay? I could hear voices." _ Thank god it's not only me. The voices. The voices. What would I be without the voices? Alone. _The pony grabbed my hoof and looked deep into my eyes. "Are _you_ okay?" _No, never. _

"I'm fine, it's just… nothing, really. Don't worry." I smile weakly as slowly pull the blankets back onto the bed.

"You can trust me, you are safe." _ Really? Am I really safe? I don't feel like I am. _Her light blue fringe fell across her face as she fiddled with the heart monitor next to my bed.

"Do you believe in ghosts?"I asked quietly as I try to calm myself down.

"No. There is not such thing… By my reckoning you are scared." She looked at the heart monitor carefully. "Your heart rate was through the roof."

"Oh…?"

"Yeah, I've never seen anything like it" She tilted her head on one side and looked at me almost accusingly. "What's wrong? You can tell me, I won't bite." The pony smiled at me again. She looked so… trusting. I felt like I could tell her my life story, _maybe I should. _But I don't know if I can trust her.

"I just… I don't like my home. Where I come from isn't like this place. This place is so loving and trusting and caring but where I come from everypony is anything but that. There is so much anger and hate, it just rips ponies apart. It's truly terrible." I sigh, feeling like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. "Where I come from is like the Crystal Empire before they got set free, it's like Equestria when nightmare moon took over, it's terrible."

"Poor you, I didn't imagine it was that bad, but then most ponies don't dare walk into the Everfree Forest, let alone through it. You must have been very brave to venture here by yourself." The pony's eyes looked big and sympathetic. _Does she understand my pain?_

"I wasn't alone" I mutter.

"Pardon? I didn't hear what you said." She leant closer

"I said, I wasn't alone, but…"I look at the flowered pattern on the bed clothes as my eyes fill with tears, their smiling faces turned to horror in my mind. "I… I could have save him."

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't what you. You aren't compelled."

"I've started now, I might as well tell you everything, I need to get it off my chest." Blinking back the tears that were already free falling down my face. "There were six of us in the beginning. We all had run away from home, we all wanted to prove ourselves in the young flyers competition. I should have told them it was a stupid idea, but then again I was desperate to leave as well." I took a deep breath and wiped away the tears. "We… _lost_ one on the way. He was only young, the youngest out of all of us, he was just a foal…" I run a hoof through my mane. "Once we got to Cloudsdale, one was taken away to a certain …erm… factory since we couldn't pay for accommodation. It has turned into a corporal punishment nowadays since the new mayor has come into power. Then there were four of us who entered the young flyers competition. It was a shame really, so much talent just thrown away like that, so many ponies not seen for what they really are." I sigh and rub my hooves together, feeling her glaze on me. "Then when I fell, they looked so terrified for me… I couldn't stand it. I tried, I really did, but it was no use. I understand why the pegasi want to dispose of me but I'm not a talented pony, I doubt I'll even be a good rainbow."

"Stop talking about yourself like that. You are talented I bet you are." She smiled again, _why do you have to smile so much?_ I leant back against the white wash walls as I recall that day. "I'm sorry."

"What for? I needed to tell someone before it burst out of me." I look deep into her sky-blue eyes and return the smile. "I feel much better."


	4. Chapter 4 - Luna

_"Luna!"_

_"We meet again, young one. I seem to visit you often, more often than anypony."_

_"Luna, the voices, they won't leave me alone, they haunt me day and night. C-can you make them stop? Can you make them leave? Please Luna, I don't know how…"_

_"Ssshhh… Dearest one, I understand and appreciate the fact that your life has been hard, difficult. But everypony has their problems that they need to get over."_

_"But Luna, both of my parents have left me and…"_

_"I understand Storm, I regretfully have to say that there isn't much that I can do to assist you."_

_"Please"_

_"Very well, I shall guide you through the next few moons. I shall chase away all of your fears and keep the voices from calling, to the best of my ability. Although there are some dark forces at work that I cannot fight as I am not yet strong enough, my sister doesn't trust me with that much power and might."_

_"Thank you."_

_"Farewell young one."_


	5. Chapter 5 - Leaving

I woke up feeling light and at ease. The voices were gone, it was totally silent apart from the heart monitor that beeped every now and then.

"Thank you, Luna." I whisper, feeling silly that I was talking to myself. Although I am aware that I do tend to do that a lot. There has been a change I can feel it like a cloud of fog that has been lifted, like a blue sky after a storm. Describing it is difficult, I wish I was better at describing things, I feel like, sometimes I just can't get the right words out at the right time, it's so frustrating. I wish I was a talented pony, but then I think it counts as being greedy, I have wished most of my problems away… most.

Luna said that there were some dark forces at work that she couldn't fight. If she wanted to fight them then she would have to be stronger, but she isn't trusted with that sort of magic anymore as Celestia is afraid her little sister will turn back into the monster she was. Luna isn't a monster though, she never was and she never will be. She was just misunderstood, wronged and jealous, and rightly so, imagine if your sister was in charge of the day, everyone loved her and praised her, but then when it came to you everyone just slept and didn't care. I would be jealous. Would you? I mean, I would be jealous of her because of the fact that no one seemed to care about what I did for them whereas she got praise on a regular basis, that would drive me insane.

The blue haired doctor entered the room and looked at me in surprise, I frown and wonder why she reacted like this.

"Something's different, you seem calmer, more at peace, I'm glad." She looked at the heart monitor and breathing apparatus next to my bed with a huge smile on her face. She seemed glad for me, I felt sort of proud…?

"I feel so much better today. I think it is because of all of the sleep, support and stability." I smiled at her and she grind back. I hardly ever smile, that was so weird. When I was at home I never smiled. It's so strange, but I feel so happy and light at the moment.

"I'm glad for you." She looked at the clipboard hanging off the end of my bed, then looked up at me with her gentle, kind eyes. "We have found you a home in Ponyville. The owner of that house said that you can stay as long as you wish. She's a real sweetheart."

"What's her name?" I ask

"Fluttershy, she is truly wonderful. She made Discord good and is lovely to be around." Then the pony looked down at the clipboard again and put it back. "We got a letter from Princess Luna. She suggested that you go to Canterlot to she her and her sister. I didn't know that you know them personally, I feel so…" she trailed off as if she didn't know how to finish that sentence.

"So…?" Turning my head on one side and looking at her.

"hmm? I forgot what I was going to say, sorry. But Canterlot should be fun, I bet you will love it."

"How urgently did she say that she needed to see me?" I pull the blankets closer to me. I was hoping to see Luna soon, but then I'm afraid of a city filled mainly with unicorns, posh unicorns.

"She said on next Sunday. I hope that's okay with you."

"It's fine." Canterlot, I was so excited to go, I was scared but excited to go. I would have to take the train as it is too far to fly and then I would have to get off at the last stop as it is closest to the quarters in which the princesses live together and then… I was over thinking things massively, it was unnecessary.

"You can leave when ever you want, you are medically fine. Fluttershy isn't at home at the moment, so Rainbow Dash will escort you to her house and then you can get yourself comfortable. Is that okay?"

"yeah." Wasn't Rainbow Dash the only pegasi to go to eight fight schools and then get chucked out of all of them? Wasn't she the one that caused all of the pegasi to rethink the system when ruined it. I think it was, she seems like quite a rebel.


	6. Chapter 6 - Freedom

I trot out of hospital as a gentle breeze blows through my mane. _I'm free at last. _The blue sky never seemed more blue, the grass seemed greener than ever. The smell of the autumn filled my nose, I had really missed the outdoors.

A pony with a multi-colored mane looks at me like I'm an alien. _It will be fine. _I smile at her hoping that she would be like the ponies in the hospital, but who was I kidding she was a well known rebel, why in all of Equestria would I think that she would smile at me. Then she did, Rainbow Dash known throughout Cloudsdale for being a rebel, breaking rules and being kicked out of loads of flight schools, smiled back at me. I was surprised by her gentleness, what was wrong with all of these ponies? They where all so kind!

"Hey...er… what's your name?"

"Storm."

"Oh okay. Hey Storm"

"Hey, Dash."

"Do I…know you?" Rainbow Dash looked confused, like she had never met me before, but she had, once.

"Baltimare flight school, you know the one to the west of the Everfree forest?" I remembered the state we were in when we first arrived at the flight school, our wings were bruised and scarred from making our way through the forest. Cockatrice, Dragons, Manticores, Parasprites, Ursasi and Changlings are awful creatures, we had to battle and escape all of them like many ponies before us. We were lucky that so many of us survived. In some ways I'm surprised more of us didn't get severely hurt. I remember how Rainbow Dash gave me that look of utter disgust like I was something that the cat had dragged in. I remember feeling like she inferior, like…

"Oh yeah, you where the one trying to get to Cloudsdale with your friends. Where are your friends?" _clearly she didn't know, clearly she wouldn't understand, not now, not ever. _

"They are… in Cloudsdale, I think. I haven't seen or heard from them since September." I shuddered at the thought of the Young Flyers Competition, images from the day flashed through my mind.

"They'll be fine, it's probably the postage system, it's a bit pants." Rainbow punched me jokingly in the shoulder, I flinched and pulled away. She leant in close to me and looked me up and down. _Yes I am just a normal-ish pony. _"You okay?"

"Never been better, now come on, lets go." Walking away from the pegasi. I turned and saw Dash flying just above the ground just behind me.

"Wrong direction. Fluttershy's house is this way." She pointed a hoof towards Ponyville. "Race you." I opened up my wings and stretched them out for the first time for weeks.

"Don't worry, it's not like I'm going to loose any time soon." I grinned, knowing that that would annoy her. The pony looked at me as if she had been challenged.

"Oh really, first pony to Ponyville gets… an imaginary gold medal!"


	7. Chapter 7 - Home

"I win!" I wheeze, collapsing to the ground outside a quaint little cottage surrounded by woodland and a small stream. Rainbow Dash was nowhere to be seen. _Have I made a wrong turning? Should I go back? Should I look for her?_

"You didn't win!" The pony flew down and landed next to the front door with the Equestria's biggest smile on her face. I narrowed my eyes.

"Well technically speaking-"

"I win." She placed her hoof against the door, "I was first to her house. I think that counts as winning." Rainbow leant against the door in a casual, relaxed stance. I slowly trot over the small, crystal clear stream that is filled with fishes. I move past the green trees filled with animals and life and the grass filled with bunnies of different shapes and sizes. It was so peaceful and calm here, so homely and welcoming and kind and loving and… I wish I had a place like this of my own. But then again looking around at all of the houses in Ponyville, I wish I could live in any of them.

At that moment the door of the cottage opened, Rainbow Dash fell through the opening and landed on a yellow pony with pink hair. The pony seemed shocked and startled by this entrance. She seemed to be a timid type of pony, anti-social. Dash quickly got up, shook out her mane, which was in a tangle and grinned at me.

"This is Fluttershy." Dash pointed a hoof at the pony, who still looked dazed and amazed.

"umm…hello." The timorous pegasi muttered, slowly getting up. A small white rabbit hopped up next to her and rubbed it's head against her leg reassuringly. "It's okay Angel, I'm fine." Fluttershy smiled gently at the rabbit.

"I'm Storm Lament, I'm going to be staying with you…?" I carefully put out a hoof so that she could shake it but she flinched back.

"Hello Storm…" she took a deep breath. "Come on in, make yourself at home." I turn to look at Rainbow Dash who just grins at me.

"Thank you Dash, I'll take it from here." The blue pegasi turned and flew away, I turn back to Fluttershy. "It looks like it's just you and me."

"Yeah." She was helping a turtle that had fallen over. "I hope you don't mind the critters, they are real sweethearts when you get to know them. Even discord was, before he went back to Canterlot, I mean, he still is a sweetheart, but he's not here."

"Okay," I wipe my hooves on the mat, so that I won't tread mud into the carpet, I want to be easy to look after, not a chore.


	8. Chapter 8 - Letters

_Celestia, remember how it used to be when the sun would fill up the sky. Remember how we used to feel, those days would never end. You raised the sun to warm our faces, astonishing up with light. Luna, remember how it used to be when the stars would fill the sky, remember how we used to dream. Those nights would never end. When I look up at the lonely moon and all of the empty stars, I think of you. _

I can't sleep, I haven't slept. I feel so awake, so alive, so at peace, so… happy.

I need to see Luna but she was expecting to see me on Sunday, and I can't run off, then everypony would blame Fluttershy. Doing that to her would be awful.

_Luna, we haven't talked in ages, I miss our little talks. You have supported me through good and bad. And I just really want to say thank you for everything. You have fought away all of my fears and chased away all of the voices. _

_Thank you. My life is so much better now because of the help you have given to me. And you have done all of this for a pony who doesn't even have a cutie mark yet. I mean, I'm fully grown, in fact I'm taller than Rainbow Dash now, but I just don't have any talents or fate. But then again, I have most hope in Ponyville since this is where Princess Twilight grew to understand friendship. _

_I am hoping to make some new friends since all of the friends I did have left and haven't bothered to find me. _

_Storm Lament. _

I rolled up the piece of paper, I needed to send this to Luna. A midnight fly won't do any harm, I'll be back before dawn. Maybe I should leave a note for Fluttershy in case she comes to check up on me.

_Dear Fluttershy, going out for a walk 'cause I can't sleep. Be back soon. Storm. _

I open the window and sit on the ledge, letting my hooves swing over the edge. Spreading my wings, I take a deep breath and fly off into the night.


	9. Chapter 9 - Midnight

"Luna," I lower my head, it was amazing to meet her in real life, and wow, being in the presents of a princess is pretty awesome. I had quite literally bumped into her outside the Star Swirl the Bearded wing of the library in Canterlot.

"Rise dearest one," She smiled gently, her dark blue hair moving in the autumn breeze.

"That's just to same… urm thank you, for everything." I gave her my letter of thanks.

"It is of no need, I did this deed out of kindness, not to be praised for. Although, praise is always welcome." I smiled.

"I've errr… missed you."

"Likewise Storm, I rather enjoy your companionship." She looked troubled as she looked deep into my eyes. "My sister and I thoroughly concerned about the magic that is inside you, it seems like somepony has cursed you in someway or any other. We do not yet know of a way to cure you or rid you of this curse but I promise you, we are trying our upmost to discover a way to heal you."I sighed and looked down at the ground. Thinking, hoping that she had already found the mystery cure to my mystery curse. I hadn't noticed I had a curse on me, but then again anypony could have done anything to me in the Everfree Forest and I probably wouldn't have noticed. I'm just hoping that some time soon somepony will find the cure because I don't want more bad things to happen. Being like an unlucky charm is annoying, maybe that's part of the curse, who knows. "Don't loose hope Storm," she put her hoof under my chin, lifting it up. "You have been through worse."

"And I guess it could be worse, I mean, I wonder what would have happened to me if I had never met you?"

"You, Storm, would probably be the same as ever."

"What? Insane?" I gritted my teeth and looked away, fighting back the tears. _I'm not insane. I'm not a monster. I'm not insane. _

"I never said that Storm," She walked over to me putting her wing across my back. "You are not insane, if it would be anypony then it would me, since I have done some of the most stupid crimes to get back at somepony I love. Ridiculous really." She smiled and looked up at the sky, looked up at the moon that was approaching the horizon with a melancholy look on her face. It was silent for a couple of minutes as both of us reflected and though about all of the things we regretted. We walked over to a bench, sat down and watched the moon sink below the horizon together. We talked about all sorts of things together. In some ways I wished she could be my friend but I doubt she gives a flying dragon about being my friend. Who would want to be friends with a cursed pony from a place that nopony knows of?

"I think I should go soon, Fluttershy will be waking up soon and I don't want her panic because I'm not there." I got up and turned back to look at her with a smile.

"You see you are acting like a friend to her, and she seems to be acting like a friend for you. That is delightful see." She got up to. "I better go to help prepare for my sister to raise the sun." Luna took a deep breath. "I hope… I _hope _to see you soon." Looking down at the letter, she smiled. "Thank you." I nod and return her smile as I turn to leave. "And Storm,"

"Yes?"

"Stay safe."

"You to, Princess Luna."


	10. Chapter 10 - Marks

The sun streamed through the open window. I woke up with a kitten on my face and a mouse sleeping in the center my hoof. My hooves and wings ached like I had travelled over night but I couldn't remember anything. Having forgotten about the journey, I felt disoriented and confused, that's when I remembered about meeting Luna and talking about life and stuff like that. A pang of sorrow, I didn't know why, I felt like part of me was missing.

_Princess Luna is the closest thing I have to a friend._

It hit me like a Manticore, like the mail train, like Ursasi, like… I had never had a friend before, it was so weird. I wanted to talk to her, I felt safe around her, I…

Smiling a I slowly got up, removing myself from all of the animals that were sleeping on, under and around me. The small mouse that was sleeping on my hoof woke up and scurried away.

"Sorry," I whispered, it wasn't like it could hear me. Listening to the birds singing outside my window, walked towards the closed door, wondering if Fluttershy was up yet. Hopefully she was, even if she was I wouldn't be able to hear her over the sound of birds and animals.

Autumn was in fully swing now, the leaves were turning amber and the air was getting colder and crisper. I couldn't wait for winter, winter is the best time of year as there is snow, and snow is brilliant.

Fluttershy opened the door and trotted in cautiously.

"I'm sorry to umm… disturb you." She started picking up and moving animals out of my bed and shooed them out of the door. "Your breakfast is aahh downstairs." Her eyes wide, she quickly backed out of the door and ran down the stairs. I wasn't that scary, was I?

I moved over to the mirror to check that I wasn't a hideous monster. The mirror sat on the table like a window into a different universe, infinite possibilities of what I looked like. My heart beat faster, scared of what would be see. I open my eyes, it was just me, just Storm. I turn my head to make sure there is nothing wrong, but there wasn't anything. My flack, I check and there is something. A cutie mark!

"AT LAAAST!" I shout

Ecstatic. Pleased. Relieved. Happy. Excited. Thrilled. Radiant. Exhilarated. Delighted. Blithe. Exultant. Overwhelmed. Enraptured. Elated. Euphoric. Joyful, no, Overjoyed.

_What is it? What is my cutie mark?_

It was storm cloud and black figure, the figure that was Darkrai, the figure of nightmares. Storm nightmares were my special ability, I could roll with that. Still don't understand Fluttershy's reaction through.


	11. Chapter 11 - Fluttershy

I sit down on the bed and think, why would it all of a sudden appear like that, what have I done to make it appear all? It didn't seem obvious to me at the time. After staring blankly at the ceiling for a couple of minutes I thought that I should venture down stairs to see if Fluttershy was alright and ask her why she seemed to react like that. As I walked down the stairs it struck me that Fluttershy may have lived in Swaggerpedia and would know of Darkrai, that would explain why she was able to become friends with Discord so easily, since Discord also came from there.

Swaggerpedia is island and continent south of Equestria, past Seaddle, the Cervidas, the Fringe, the Firelight Woods and the Southern Ley line. It was where I was running away from, it's also where Discord was born, he to wanted to escape from that place, filled with dragons, fear and jealousy. It's the place that Luna discovered before she became Nightmare Moon, she still hasn't told her sister about it since Luna broke the rules by going outside of Equestria and she is afraid that her sister would be annoyed at her. She told me that last night, I was surprised to find out this information. She said that she wanted to go there to study the dragons and try to interact with them, which is a bold thing to do. Luna wanted to do that so that if there was ever a dragon problem, she would be able to sort it out but nowadays she isn't given that sort of freedom as her sister is afraid that she will go over the edge and go all evil again. To me, I find it a shame that she isn't trusted because she has to much talent and skill that is just being wasted since she isn't permitted to have that much power.

Once, I get to the bottom of the staircase, I look around for Fluttershy and find her curled up in the corner.

"A-are you alright?" I lean down and offer a hoof for her to get up but she just shrinks further back into the corner.

"Get away, g-get away from me. I don't want to have anything to do with you, I don't want you anywhere near me or the critters." Her eyes widened in fear.

"Why? What have I done?" I stood up tall and took a deep breath. _This is a long shot but it's worth a try._ "What do you remember of Swaggerpedia?"

"D-don't mention that place, that horrible place." She sniffed, turning her face away from me. _Is she crying? "_H-h-h-how do you know about that?"

"I…" I sighed and sat down on the floor in front of her. "I worked it out. Nopony in Equestria would know about Darkrai, whereas everypony in Swaggerpedia know them all to well. Also it would explain why nopony knows where you come from, that you are older than your friends and why you where able to become friends with Discord so easily."

"Wow, nopony has been able to work that out for themselves. I told Discord that I recognised him from somewhere, that somewhere being Swaggerpedia." She looked at me and smiled sadly. "Nopony has met my family or knows that I even have a family. Storm, I knew that I had met you before but I didn't know where from." It was bizarre, all of a sudden Fluttershy no longer had a stutter and no longer seemed afraid. Maybe it was because she no longer felt alone, that she no longer needed to pretend, maybe it was because now she knows that there are ponies out there who have gone through the same pain.

"But how come I can't remember you from there?" I inquired.

"That, Storm, I for me to know and you to find out."


	12. Chapter 12 - Curse

Sunday came quicker than I expected. All of a sudden I was on a train to Canterlot to see my _friend _Luna. I couldn't wait to tell her about Fluttershy and what I had found out about her. Also I needed to tell her about my cutie mark. Although, Darkrai did seem to be a slightly bizzard thing to have as a cutie mark, it seems slightly dark and sinister. Either way, I was still super excited.

Slowly the train chuffed into the station and came to a grinding halt.

"This is Canterlot station, please mind the gap between the train and the platform edge. The next stop is Cloudsdale for all of our pegasi and griffins." The doors get pushed open as unicorns, pegasi and ponies alike make there way towards the city. Cautiously, I get up and make my way towards the exit. "All aboard!" the train guard shouts. I jump off quickly before the train leaves. As I turn, I watch it depart, seeing a grey pegasi, with yellow eyes on the second carriage, stare at me. All of a sudden a feeling of uneasiness swept over me, like I was still an outsider and I still didn't belong. I sighed and put it to the back of my mind, I had more important things to worry about.

I trotted over to the Starswirl the bearded section of the library as that is where Luna and I had talked about meeting.

"Luna?" I asked walking past ancient documents and scriptures. "Luna!" Upon seeing the blue of her hair, I walked quickly towards the central statue, "Luna!?"

"There you are, my brilliant subject." She said, her voice cool and calming, it was just louder than a whisper but had a sense of urgency.

"What's wrong?"

"Well my glorious child of the night, you see, the other night when I wasn't clearing ponies nightmares, I was reading about the place that you come from." Luna looked over at the pile of scrolls on and around a small desk in the corner. "Chemoreflex, has a co-ruler, Darkrai. There is not much in the scrolls about him, and personally I know more about him than what is written here. Lets just say that he is the opposite of me. He creates nightmares and haunts pony's dreams, he tortures the pony's souls with his evil and anger. He lives to cause pain." She unrolled a scroll pushing some papers off the desk. The scroll had a rough illustration of him on it. I glanced down at my cutie mark, _maybe this isn't the right time to mention that. _"There is a document here somewhere that talks about somepony doing trade with other ponies in the Everfree forest. It seems like he was selling ponies as slaves to work in circuses, shops, farms and armies. All we have got is the name of the ponies sold and how much they where sold for, we have no idea where the ponies are now or what they are doing."

"umm… princess…?" I push in before she makes another point.

"Just wait a moment, I have discover something really important, something that changes everything." Her eyes wide and glowing purple in the dim of the library. "There was this pony that I knew, she had loads of nightmares and came from the north of Swaggerpedia to. The pony loved chaos and destruction, but I guessed that came with the territory of coming from Swaggerpedia. To me it seemed like everything in her life that could go wrong, did go wrong. It was like a curse." _Curse. You are cursed. Storm, you are cursed, everywhere you go, bad luck and misfortune follow. I CURSE YOU, STORM LAMENT._ "Storm? Are you okay? Storm, come on." I felt her hoof on my shoulder. My vision had become blurred, I felt dizzy and I could feel my knees becoming weak. "Storm!" I snapped out of my daze and looked at her blankly.

"Sorry." I shook my head, frustrated with myself for almost fainting.

Luna frowned at me. "Why do you do that?"

"So that I don't look weak, because when you are weak ponies can take advantage of you." I sighed and looked away, that was a bad answer but it would do. "So, what's this about a curse?"

"Well, the pony had the most terrible nightmares, just like you, she came from Chemoreflex, just like you, and she had a Darkrai cutie mark, just like you." She pointed at my flank.

"How did you know about that?" I ask, bewildered and confused. I hadn't told her, _not yet._

"Fluttershy sent me a letter, explaining that you had a weird cutie mark, one like she had never seen before. She drew me a sketch and it seems to match up with the…" she put the sketch next to the illustration, they where the identical.

"That would be Darkrai." I sigh. "He terrible, Luna, I hate him. I HATE him." Taking a ragged breath, I look away. "You don't know how mean he is, he kills ponies." I sniff. "He killed my family because ran away." Tears pour down my face.

"Storm, though it…kills me to say it. My child, we have to venture back to Chemoreflex."

"NO!" I spin around, eyes wide, tears streaming down my face. "You can't do that to me!" I said shakily. "Please, Luna, don't do it, I can't go back, not after what he did. Luna, I can't. Please-"

"It's for the best, Storm. You know I wouldn't put you through that on purpose. We will go back so that we can destroy him and Scolipede. Then Celestia and I will rule over that land and fill it with peace and love. So that future generation won't have to go through what you went through. Does that sound acceptable? I mean, you wouldn't want your younger sister to go through what you have gone through."

"I don't _have _a little sister. I _had _a little sister. She was sold for her rare cutie mark. She was probably killed. I wouldn't be surprised."

"There is always hope."


	13. Chapter 13 - Arrival

Luna and I stood in the look out tower and watched as the sun set over the land. The bright blues, greens and yellows of day were changing to orange, then red, then purple, then black. From there you can see the whole of Equestria, the two seas that lie on either side of this wonderful land, the whole of the Griffin Kingdoms, the Mild West and Cervidas.

"You know where we have to go." Luna says as I look over at her, her hair was melting into the dark sky.

"The lost lands, Swaggerpedia, my home." I mutter, with every inch of my being full of fear and sorrow.

"Let's go then." The princess looked at me and saw my sorrowful expression. "Soon it will be over and buried with your past." She said with a gentle smile. The tip of her horn began to glow.

All of a sudden I was surrounded by light, it was blinding, it was so bright it hurt when I opened my eyes. There was wind to, but it wasn't like a normal wind, it was uncontrolled and seemed to blow from all directions at the same time. And I was alone, Luna was nowhere to be seen. Each time I tried to called her name, no words or sounds came out. Then almost as quickly as it started, it stopped.

We were standing in the shallow sea that surrounded the island of Swaggerpedia, it was knee deep and cold, _very_ cold. We were in the west judging by the light blue mountains that were rising out of the emerald sea and reaching up towards the ridiculously pink sky above. I looked at Luna nervously.

"this… this should be fun." The smile on her face looked so forced, it seemed we felt as uneasy as each other as we made our way towards land. "The sky…"

"Discord." I spat.

"But-"

"- he has a replica statue, that's the one in the gardens. The real discord lives in south Swaggerpedia." I hissed. Luna looked put out and surprised.

"Anyway, could you tell me why the Cloudsdale authorities are after you?"

I sigh and look down at the green water. "You know about the factory, right? Well, one of my friends got taken there as she couldn't pay for the flight competition we were entering and that is the standard punishment they have in Cloudsdale if you do anything bad. So, my friend got taken away and I came to save her, but… I was too late." The corners of my eyes begin to sting. "I found her body at the same that one of the workers found me. The worker didn't set off the alarm at the time but must have spilt the beans later." Blinking back the tears, I look over at Luna. She clearly had her mind on other things as she was staring determinedly forward.

It was nice to finally reach dry land, my hooves where soaked. The large blue mountains loom over head, tall, menacing and unfriendly. I miss Pony Ville and all of the nice, kind ponies that live there in their lovely organised houses. This, this is just unwelcoming and a bit shit.

I look over at Luna for supporting words of encouragement but there was none, she was concentrating too much at the task ahead of us.

"Where does Darkrai live?"

"Well there are all of these mountains surround a valley. In the centre of the valley is called Chemoreflex, that's where I come from and where Darkrai lives." I think back to when I lived here. There was so little that all of the ponies that lived in the villages that surrounded the mountains, knew about Darkrai. All that I could remember was what an old mare once told me. _Proverbs say that Darkrai will make people have terrifying dreams on moonless nights in the land of Newmoon island. _Swaggerpedia was originally called Newmoon Island before it was cut up into different territories, this was because dragons wanted to live in the mountains and Scolipede wanted the land that surrounded the mountains. I could still remember that from school; it felt like a lifetime ago.

"I have been long since excited about meeting Darkrai. This is going to be just perfect."

Just after the short beach began that steep climb to the top of the mountain. I started to walk up the slope.

"Storm, you seem to have forgotten that you are a Pegasus." At first I didn't see Luna but then I looked up and saw her flying above me. I realise how stupid I must have looked and laughed to myself.

"I guess you are right, Luna." Stretching out my wings I got ready to take off. "Wow, I was so used to walking around in Ponyville." She grinned at me as I joined her in the sky.


	14. Chapter 14 - Darkrai

Many earth ponies think that flying is effortless. They are wrong.

We had flown up the mountain when I realised that there was a chance that we could come across some dragons, but on the other hand, they aren't really active around this time of year. Also the thing that Luna had said a while ago about me having a sister was still puzzling, because it seemed like she knew something that I didn't.

"So when we meet Darkrai there is a likelihood that he is going to create some pretty nasty nightmares." Luna declared, randomly. I looked over at her startled.

"Well yeah, but that's fine for you because you can walk through dreams." Muttering I looked away, thinking about the shit storm that was coming my way. I've got to admit it, I was scared, very scared.

"It looks like we are coming close to the top of this mountain, I think we should pick up the pace, I kind of want to take Darkrai by surprise."

So we did, I flew as fast as my wings could carry me, feeling the pressure build up as the wind blew hard in my face. My mind drifted to Rainbow Dash and her sonic rain booms, how spectacular they where. Apparently she was due to do one at the Canterlot wedding, how lucky she was. An almost talentless pony, whose only talent was bad dreams, what kind of talent is that anyway? I was massively jealous.

We were now flying above the mountain range, I pointed at the centre and we made our way towards the circular patch of long green grass and exotic fruit trees. It seemed closer than it really was, but by the eventually got there, Darkrai had already appeared. My heart sank.

"Darkrai, I challenge you to a battle," Luna called out, her voice reverberating and bouncing off the mountains. The dark creature narrowed it's eye and then nodded.

"We shall battle," he gruffly said. All of a sudden a dark ball appeared in front of him, "daaaaarkrai." He shot the ball at me and then everything went black.


	15. Chapter 15 - Nightmare

_You raise the blade, you make the change_

**I was alone again, floating through darkness**

_You re-arrange me 'till I'm sane_

**When I hear a tune that I had heard before, and a pony I've seen before**

_You lock the door_

**The words to the tune, the face of the pony**

_And throw away the key_

**Were all too familiar**

_There's someone in my head but it's not me._

**It was always in the background, like me but not the same**

_And if the cloud bursts, thunder in your ear_

**Like a soundtrack, like a shadow, like a counter personality**

_You shout and no one seems to hear_

**The song was about a reject**

_And if your head explodes with dark forebodings too_

**It was about insanity**

_I'll see you on the dark side of the moon_

**It was about me**


End file.
